This invention relates to an apparatus for discharging and separating a band of interconnected skin packages. Such an apparatus is coupled downstream of a skin packing machine into which the cardboard supports are fed and which applies thereto a skin foil taken from a supply roll. In each operational cycle, a new multi-article package is made, connected to the preceding package. The discharging and separating apparatus to which the invention relates, takes over conveyance of the packages out of the packaging machine by executing a feeding step which corresponds approximately to the length of the cardboard support. The separation of the multi-article package into single-article packages is effected by longitudinal and transverse cuts and further, hanger holes are punched into the cardboard support. At least the transverse cutting and the punching of hanger holes are effected during the making of the successive multi-article skin package.
The transverse cutting device is mounted on a sled which includes a device for grasping the band and which, after the band has been conveyed out of the skin packaging machine, moves intermittently in a direction opposite to the conveying direction of the band. During this occurrence, the cutting device executes the transverse cuts at predetermined locations and, at the same time, the hanger holes are punched out. The longitudinal cuts are effected either during the conveyance of the band out of the skin packing machine, or during the return motion of the sled by means of a lengthwise cutter known by itself.
An apparatus of the above-outlined type is known and is disclosed, for example, in German Gebrauchsmuster (Utility Model) No. 7,345,865. Between two successive multi-article packages there remains an intermediate web which is separated by the transverse cutter as scrap, while the sled is advanced only slightly between the two cuts producing this scrapped strip. It is, of course, a desideratum to maintain the intermediate web as small as possible and thus, in case of thin cardboard supports, the two cardboard supports of the two successive multi-article skin packages may abut one another. In such a case the cardboard support can be so designed that only an approximately 5 mm wide scrap is obtained from each multi-article package, or a scrap of a total width of 10 mm. In such a case, the sled carrying the transverse cutter would travel approximately 10 mm after the last transverse cut through a multi-article skin package and would only then execute the first transverse cut at the successive skin package. This, however, is not feasible in practice because of the operation of the hole punches for the hanger holes. The hanger hole and its distance from the outer edge of a skin package are standardized in DIN (German Industrial Standard) 55 512, page 1. Thus, the distance from the outer edge is at least 7 mm and the width of the hanger hole is at least 8.5 mm. Thus, in order to ensure that upon executing the last transverse cut in the multi-article skin package, the hanger hole is not punched into the first article row of the successive multi-article package, there must be provided an intermediate space of approximately 20 mm between the two packages. Dependent upon the hanger hole, this distance may have to be even greater.
The cardboard supports, however, cannot be abutted against one another if they are relatively thick; in such a case an intermediate space must remain therebetween, because if a thick cardboard is clamped by the tensioning frame in the skin packing machine, leaks in the vacuum package cannot be avoided. Therefore, between two multi-article packages, there is left an intermediate web having a width that corresponds to that of the tensioning frame, that is, approximately 20 mm. Consequently, in this zone there extends solely the skin foil which has a thickness of approximately 0.1 mm.
Upon performing the last transverse cut on a multi-article package, the hole punches are operating in the scrap zone which is formed only by the thin synthetic foil unless there is provided an additional 20 mm width of cardboard scrap. If the hole punches are to cut only the thin synthetic foils, problems are encountered in that the cut of the punch is not a full circle and thus foil portions are drawn into the space between the punch and the matrix. This is so because a certain gap must remain between the punch and the matrix and upon installing and adjusting the hole punch and the matrix, the gap is, in most cases, shifted to one side. This can usually not be avoided, because the punch and the matrix cooperate as shears; the matrix is aligned with the punch in the lowered position of the punch by pressing the matrix thereagainst. Such an arrangement has no disadvantageous effects for punching a cardboard, but if the foil is drawn in between the punch and the matrix, the scrap remains connected at one location with the foil and thus hangs into the matrix after the transverse cutter is open. A subsequent advance of the sled to the next cutting position therefore leads inevitably to operational disturbances.